The Hollister Vikings’ football season ended abruptly last
weekend as both of Hollister’s playoff teams lost to much higher
seeded opponents out of Coyote Creek. Despite the defeats, both
teams played exciting contests that went down to the wire against a
much stronger opponent.
HOLLISTER
The Hollister Vikings’ football season ended abruptly last weekend as both of Hollister’s playoff teams lost to much higher seeded opponents out of Coyote Creek. Despite the defeats, both teams played exciting contests that went down to the wire against a much stronger opponent.
Junior Pee Wee
Coyote Creek Wildcats 19, Hollister Vikings 14
The first round playoff game for Hollister’s junior pee wee team landed on an auspicious Halloween Sunday. Coyote Creek, ranked third in the division, beat the sixth-ranked Vikings earlier in the season, but the Hollister team they played on this holiday had greatly improved.
Much of the first quarter was spent with both teams feeling each other out. Blaze McShane and Christopher Pritchett helped contain the Coyote Creek runners, but it wasn’t until the middle of the second quarter that the first points would be scored.
A long drive by the Vikings would start on Hollister’s 22-yard line, when defensive end Peter Felice jumped on a fumbled toss. From this point, Ishmael Medina ran for one first down, quarterback Brad Sparrer tossed a completion to Marcus Guevara for a second first down and Andres Soto weaved for another first down. The drive culminated with Medina, taking the hand-off at the Coyote Creek 32-yard line, weaved through the middle of the field for a touchdown. Soto’s point-after kick was right on target and Hollister pulled ahead 8-0 with two minutes left in the first half.
A big sack for an 8-yard loss by linebacker Michael Zaragoza would put an exclamation point to round out the half.
Coyote Creek finally began a sustained drive, but with great resistance from the Hollister defense. Vikings defender Zaragoza started the stand when he cut through the line and reached the Coyote Creek runner five yards behind the line of scrimmage. The Coyote Creek quarterback bolted on a keeper, but Soto would give chase and caught the runner as they gained 12 yards on the play.
Michael Esparza had a handful of powerful tackles to contain Coyote Creek once again as Guevara used his speed on defense to sack the quarterback on another keeper for a loss of multiple yards. The keeper was used again with success after a few Hollister penalties brought Coyote Creek closer to the red zone and eventually scored from 15 yards out. The point-after kick was unsuccessful and Hollister lead by a narrow two-point margin, 8-6.
Medina responded when he carried the ball five times in seven plays and helped maintain the Vikings’ energy when he and Soto gained two more first downs on their way to scoring again. Blocks by Sean Nelson, Esparza and Felice were perfectly timed as Medina cut right through the line to earn another Hollister touchdown. Hollister’s point-after was no good but the Vikings still weren’t scared as they led 14-6.
Hollister’s defense stifled two Wildcats when they got the ball back as Kane DeAlba and Nick Perez walled off the middle of the field with two tackles each. But on fourth down, the Coyote Creek quarterback kept the ball and outran the entire Hollister defense into the end zone for another score.
In an incredible play, Pritchett and Zaragoza ran into the shooting lane, blocking the point-after to preserve a two-point lead with only three minutes left to play. But Hollister could not move the ball and was forced to punt.
With 51 seconds left, Coyote Creek took possession at midfield. The Wildcats’ halfback broke free on their first play, and was chased down on the 1-yard line by Soto. On the next play, the Wildcats quarterback snuck over the goal line to end the Vikings season.
Despite the loss, Hollister’s junior pee wees played an incredible game, almost upsetting a team that had beaten them by three touchdowns in the regular season, and lost only twice all year.
By Samantha Zaragoza
Pee Wee
Coyote Creek Wildcats 14, Hollister Vikings 6
Having already faced the second-seeded Coyote Creek Wildcats earlier in the season, the seventh-seeded Hollister Viking pee wee team knew it was going to have to bring out all the stops in this first-round playoff game. The coaches designed creative plays on offense, and a new defensive scheme was put in the week before — and for the most part, it worked.
The Vikings scored on an exciting halfback pass play, and they held the Wildcat offense to just one touchdown. However, one costly turnover ended up being the difference between winning and losing, and the Vikings’ season ended with a loss to Coyote Creek, 14-6.
“We played a little soft in the first half,” coach Larry Murphy said. “But the kids came back in the second half and really showed that they could fight back when they were down. We missed numerous opportunities in the game, but in the end it just wasn’t our day.”
The coaches had just three practices to put in a new defensive scheme to try and stop the Wildcats, and it was obvious in the first half that it was working. The Wildcats had difficulty sustaining a drive, and the Viking offense contributed by holding onto the ball for a good chunk of time, keeping the Wildcat offense off of the field.
Led by running back Shraee Harrison, the Vikings marched down the field on their second possession, only to have their fourth down pass fall incomplete inside the 10-yard line. A fumble recovered by Tristan Wahl gave the Vikings the ball on the Wildcat 31-yard line, but a pass on fourth-and-long was intercepted by the Wildcats and ran back for the first touchdown of the game.
In the second half, the Viking defense remained strong on Coyote Creek’s first two possessions. However, it just took one big play, a long run from midfield, to put the Wildcats up by two scores with 7:37 left in the game.
The Viking offense went to work. Taking over on their own 24-yard line, the Vikings’ creativity paid off. A fumble on a reverse on the first play of the drive was fortunately recovered by Jonathan Mendoza, setting up second-and-five. Dylan Olivares ran hard and finished his run strong, going 6 yards for the first down. Quarterback Daniel Hopkins completed a 26-yard pass to Wahl, and two plays later Harrison took the hand-off and then stepped back and threw the ball down the field to Josh Nehme, who made a finger-tip catch and sped down the field for a touchdown.
The Viking crowd grew louder, with shouts of “Go Big Boy!” and “Get ’em Okie!” rising above the din. A chant of “De-fense! De-fense!” rose above the cheering Wildcat fans. The defense, led by Harrison, Tanner Okerson and David San Miguel, took over and held the Wildcats, giving the ball back to the offense on their own 29-yard line with 1:45 left on the clock.
The Vikings took to the air to try and get down the field quickly, but with only one completed pass, a 7-yard pass from Hopkins to Nehme, they fell short.
“We just couldn’t put it all together at once,” Murphy said. “We outplayed them, but sometimes talent just outweighs that. It’s been a long, tough season, but everybody left everything on the field, and I’m proud of them for that.”
By Christine Wahl-Dukes
Mighty Mite
Gilroy Browns 30, Hollister Vikings 18
The Hollister Vikings ended their season Saturday with the Mighty Mite Bowl against the Gilroy Browns in Salinas.
The Vikings where down many players, including their quarterback, so some last minute changes where made in practices during the week to try and accommodate the team.
Brady Miguel filled in as the mighty mite quarterback for the first time in the season, and really shined in his new role. Ivan Mendoza ran the ball 30 yards for a first down, and then proceeded with a 20-yard touchdown run, giving the Vikings their first score of the game. Jonathan Ramos made the second touchdown of the game, taking the ball down the field for a 60-yard touchdown run. The last and final score of the game was a 30-yard run made by Miguel.
The Vikings may have lost the game, but they had some great plays to be proud of. Eric Green, Mathew Sanders, Jordon Plesek, Diego Ramirez and Isaias Rivera all made some great sacks. Jordon Plesek, Angel Amescua, Gabriel Dominguez and Eric Green all made fumble recoveries. The Hollister Vikings lineman, Isaias Rivera, Cristian Paredes and Zakary Fisher, all made some great tackles during the last game. The team may have been short some players, but they played hard and never gave up.
In the end, the Gilroy Browns won 30-18.
The Hollister Vikings’ mighty mite team played hard all season, and will come back even stronger for the next season. The team played with heart, and never let the losses get them down.
By Carissa Brewer
